It’s easy to see over the course of several short films that Ben Kitnick is a huge fan of finding characters. Real or imagined, it doesn’t matter. He seeks out quirks and bold details, then typically throttles back in order to show the everyday elements, proving there’s a person below the personality. This short film is a bit different.
Dream House offers a brief window into the low-rent life of a pathetic piece of man who spends his money on frozen dinners and a dominatrix.
The real power of this short is in incongruous imagery and the sharp, staccato editing technique where a riding crop becomes like a pair of snapping fingers signaling a viewpoint change. It allows for pleasant surprises and much-needed laughs in the face of a decently bleak existence. Not Gummo bleak, but still not enviable. Ultimately, the short film focuses on a simple message that might not ever be received.
Related Topics: Short Films, Video
